Systems and methods for proactive management of a communication network through monitoring a user network interface

• US 8,411,578 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, William Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H
• Application Number:
  US13/023,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20110134783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 370241-252, 379/2, 379/14.01, 379/15.05, 379/22.03, 379/221.03, 709/203, 709223-224, 714 1- 2, 714/15, 714/25, 714 30- 31, 714 41- 471, 714/57, 714736-737, 714/799
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error

Abstract

Systems and methods for proactive management of a communication network through monitoring a user network interface are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to proactively monitor user network interfaces comprises obtaining first information related to operation of a physical port, determining that the physical port implements both a first user network interface and a second user network interface, combining the first information with second information related to operation of a first logical port implementing the first user network interface, but not implementing the second user network interface, to assess performance of the first user network interface, and combining the first information with third information related to operation of a second logical port implementing the second user network interface, but not implementing the first user network interface, to assess performance of the second user network interface.

Claims

1. A method to proactively monitor user network interfaces, the method comprising:

obtaining first information related to operation of a physical port;

determining that the physical port implements both a first user network interface and a second user network interface;

combining the first information with second information related to operation of a first logical port implementing the first user network interface, but not implementing the second user network interface, to assess performance of the first user network interface; and

combining the first information with third information related to operation of a second logical port implementing the second user network interface, but not implementing the first user network interface, to assess performance of the second user network interface.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising ranking a first performance assessment corresponding to the first user network interface and a second performance assessment corresponding to the second user network interface to prioritize which one of the first user network interface and the second user network interface is to receive proactive maintenance, the first performance assessment combining the first information and the second information, and the second performance assessment combining the first information and the third information.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the first information includes a performance parameter for the physical port obtained from an exception message received from a network element.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the exception message is a first exception message, the second information includes a performance parameter for the first logical port obtained from a second exception message different from the first exception message, and the third information includes a performance parameter for the second logical port obtained from a third exception message different from the first and second exception messages.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising combining the first information and the second information with fourth information related to operation of a virtual channel associated with the first user network interface to assess performance of the first user network interface.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the first information includes a performance parameter for the physical port obtained from a first exception message received from a network element, the second information includes a performance parameter for the first logical port obtained from a second exception message different from the first exception message, the third information includes a performance parameter for the second logical port obtained from a third exception message different from the first and second exception messages, and the fourth information includes a performance parameter for the virtual channel obtained from a fourth exception message different from the first, second and third exception messages.

7. A method as defined in claim 5 further comprising combining the first information and the third information with the fourth information related to operation of the virtual channel to assess performance of the second user network interface when the virtual channel is determined to also be associated with the second user network interface.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein obtaining the first information comprises:

receiving an exception message from a network element; and

parsing the first information from the exception message.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein determining that the physical port implements both the first user network interface and the second user network interface comprises:

determining that an exception message providing the first information is related to the physical port; and

evaluating a mapping of network components to user network interfaces associated with the network components, the network components including the physical port, the first logical port and the second logical port, the mapping indicating that the physical port is associated with both the first user network interface and the second user network interface, the mapping indicating that the first logical port is associated with the first user network interface but not the second user network interface, and the mapping indicating that the second logical port is associated with the second user network interface but not the first user network interface.

10. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein combining the first information with the second information comprises accumulating the first information and the second information in a data record corresponding to the first user network interface.

11. A system to proactively monitor user network interfaces, the system comprising:

a message parser to;

determine that an exception message received from a network element is related to a physical port; and

obtain first information related to operation of the physical port from the received exception message; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the message parser, the processor to;

determine that the physical port implements both a first user network interface and a second user network interface;

combine the first information with second information related to operation of a first logical port implementing the first user network interface, but not implementing the second user network interface, to assess performance of the first user network interface; and

combine the first information with third information related to operation of a second logical port implementing the second user network interface, but not implementing the first user network interface, to assess performance of the second user network interface.

12. A system as defined in claim 11 wherein the processor is further to rank a first performance assessment corresponding to the first user network interface and a second performance assessment corresponding to the second user network interface to prioritize which one of the first user network interface and the second user network interface is to receive proactive maintenance, the first performance assessment to combine the first information and the second information, and the second performance assessment to combine the first information and the third information.

13. A system as defined in claim 11 wherein the exception message is a first exception message, the first information includes a performance parameter for the physical port, the second information includes a performance parameter for the first logical port obtained from a second exception message different from the first exception message, and the third information includes a performance parameter for the second logical port obtained from a third exception message different from the first and second exception messages.

14. A system as defined in claim 11 wherein the processor is further to combine the first information and the second information with fourth information related to operation of a virtual channel associated with the first user network interface to assess performance of the first user network interface.

15. A system as defined in claim 14 wherein the exception message is a first exception message, the first information includes a performance parameter for the physical port, the second information includes a performance parameter for the first logical port obtained from a second exception message different from the first exception message, the third information includes a performance parameter for the second logical port obtained from a third exception message different from the first and second exception messages, and the fourth information includes a performance parameter for the virtual channel obtained from a fourth exception message different from the first, second and third exception messages.

16. A system as defined in claim 14 wherein the processor is further to combine the first information and the third information with the fourth information related to operation of the virtual channel to assess performance of the second user network interface when the virtual channel is determined to also be associated with the second user network interface.

17. A system as defined in claim 11 wherein the processor is to evaluate a mapping of network components to user network interfaces associated with the network components to determine that the physical port implements both the first user network interface and the second user network interface, the network components including the physical port, the first logical port and the second logical port, the mapping indicating that the physical port is associated with both the first user network interface and the second user network interface, the mapping indicating that the first logical port is associated with the first user network interface but not the second user network interface, and the mapping indicating that the second logical port is associated with the second user network interface but not the first user network interface.

18. A system as defined in claim 17 wherein the mapping is implemented by a set of data records storing information for a respective set of network components included in a communication network, the set of network components including the physical port, first logical port and the second logical port, each data record for a respective network component identifying each user network interface associated with the respective network component, a first data record for the physical port identifying that the first user network interface and the second user network interface are associated with the physical port.

19. A system as defined in claim 17 wherein the mapping is implemented by a set of data records storing information for a respective set of user network interfaces included in a communication network, each data record for a respective user network interface identifying each network component associated with the respective user network interface, a first data record for the first user network interface identifying that the physical port and the first logical port are associated with the first user network interface, a second data record for the second user network interface identifying that the physical port and the second logical port are associated with the second user network interface.

20. A system as defined in claim 11 wherein the system further includes a database to store records, the processor is to accumulate the first information and the second information in a record corresponding to the first user network interface.